As the Cold War grew in intensity in the 1950s, and the first Mach 2 aircraft were produced, Mach 3 was the next objective. In the USSR, the MiG design bureau was given the task of developing the Soviet Union's response to the perceived threat from U.S. Mach 3 developments. The result was the MiG-25 'Foxbat', which first flew in the spring of 1964 and entered frontline squadron service six years later.
In the West, the aircraft's true capabilities were only fully discovered in 1976 when a Russian pilot defected with his aircraft to Japan. The aircraft was returned after the Americans had closely examined it. A total of 1,190 MiG-25s were built for service with the Soviet Union's air force and those of Algeria, Bulgaria, India, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Libya, Syria, and Turkmenistan. A small number remain in service.
This latest 'Red Star' title examines the history, development, and operational career of the MiG-25 both with the air forces of the Soviet Union and in those countries to which the aircraft was exported. It includes a superb range of illustrations and line drawings that supplement the author's well-informed text to provide a detailed analysis of one of the most potent aircraft of the Cold War era.